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Holiday From Hell - Live

359 replies

Bartlebum · 15/03/2024 17:30

Please help!

It's my nan's 80th birthday and we have arranged for 29 of us to come to North Devon for a weekend to celebrate. Arrived at 3pm to boiler faults in our cottage, no heating and no hot water. Immediately reported and the owner did not reply.

We have seven cottages in total and as everyone arrived we realised all of them are out, so we checked the gas tanks for the whole property and they are empty.

I have been calling the booking agent we went through who said they won't deal with this guy anymore as he has had nothing but complaints, so have terminated the contract.

As we paid them I have asked them to sort it so they said they will do what they can to get in touch with him.

It's been 2.5 hours and no progress. 29 people, two elderly, 7 children and one with a disability. I have asked them to find alternative accomodation but they said its not on them, it's on the owner of the property who is not contactable.

I don't know what to do. There is no one on site as it was all done via key codes. The owner lives several hours away in London, we are freezing and can't begin celebrating my nan turning 80 on what should have been an amazing occasion. We literally stayed here two years ago and had the most amazing time but it's changed hands and not been maintained to any standard.

Anyone been in a similar situation? I've been nice to the agents and I don't want to kick off but I can't believe they won't help me.

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slore · 05/05/2024 14:56

OMG that's shocking. Is there any way to report his review?

Or write another review and link it to this thread!

Bartlebum · 04/05/2024 22:32

WorkingFromHomeShite · 04/05/2024 22:01

He has balls, I’ll give him that.

😂😂😂

OP posts:
WorkingFromHomeShite · 04/05/2024 22:01

He has balls, I’ll give him that.

Malbecfan · 04/05/2024 20:59

I live in East Devon. I worked in Barnstaple for a year. I'm struggling to believe that crap review saying "the location is perfect for North Devon, the beaches around and the towns of Barnstaple, Ilfracombe [note it's spelled wrongly on the review] and South Devon" Surely they mean South Molton because South Devon is a good hour away at least.

It's probably worth pointing this out - happy to help if you want to PM me.

Bartlebum · 04/05/2024 20:47

I just have to update this thread as the owner of the property has given himself a five start review accusing OURS of being fake 😂😂

Holiday From Hell - Live
OP posts:
Candleabra · 20/03/2024 14:03

SomersetBrie · 19/03/2024 08:37

The booking agent has done brilliantly here - why would you want to avoid them?

Because they need to hold the owner to account and, in this case, remove him and the property from their books. They keep accepting the money and more bookings, knowing the ongoing issues. This isn’t an emergency breakdown, flood or something unforeseen.

HowNice23 · 20/03/2024 13:11

Can you say what the mansion you moved to is as it sounds fab x

everlastingpanini · 19/03/2024 10:50

What an arse.

MrsMikeHeck · 19/03/2024 10:30

Bartlebum · 18/03/2024 00:02

@MrsMikeHeck you reminded me of this review I found for our agents. In the sea of mostly positive experiences I sorted by lowest and lo and behold who appears...

The other low reviews were those that had stayed at... You guessed it!

Edited

If you scroll back through his other reviews, he has given 2 and 3 star ratings to two of his local competitors. These reviews are both less than a year old. All other reviews for these cottage complexes are 5 star, but he found them dirty, shabby and the owners distant 😁

HowDoWeDoThisPlease · 19/03/2024 08:58

AnaMaeve · 18/03/2024 21:33

Do you think he has paid cash?

If these are bought with a loan and his rentals dry up, he will lose everything. Stupid man.

According to the podcast he got a loan against his home (that was mortgage free) at 75% of its worth (and it doesn’t sound like a small home, as he said it was worth around 20 times more than his first home he bought). He goes on to talk about having 20 different income streams so that he’s not dependant on one stream of income, so I wonder if he took on other buy to let loans to buy further properties😱

HowDoWeDoThisPlease · 19/03/2024 08:40

@Problemzapper read the thread, or at least the ops updates.

Problemzapper · 19/03/2024 08:39

The accomodation sounds uncomfortable and unsafe, not somewhere to relax and enjoy yourselves, so I would pack up and go home or to alternative nearby accomodation if possible, and claim refund from booking agent - taking photos/video evidence of accomodation first.

It's a shame about the timing of this crap experience, but perservering with the experience will only weaken your claim against the agents, I believe, as by staying there you are implying it is not so bad and is indeed habitable, which it clearly isn't, whereas a firm rejection of it says more about how unacceptable it is.

SomersetBrie · 19/03/2024 08:37

Devora13 · 18/03/2024 20:26

Also, please name and shame the booking agent so we all know to avoid them like the plague.

The booking agent has done brilliantly here - why would you want to avoid them?

AnaMaeve · 18/03/2024 21:33

MrsMikeHeck · 18/03/2024 20:02

@Bartlebum Yes, he bought both properties in Feb 22. He bought the tenanted sea front building for £1.1m and a couple of weeks later bought the Wheel Farm Cottages for £1.25m.

@HowDoWeDoThisPlease Thanks for joining me in the rabbit hole. I don’t think I can bring myself to listen to the podcast 😬

Do you think he has paid cash?

If these are bought with a loan and his rentals dry up, he will lose everything. Stupid man.

AnaMaeve · 18/03/2024 21:31

Devora13 · 18/03/2024 20:26

Also, please name and shame the booking agent so we all know to avoid them like the plague.

The booking agent provided the OP with a mansion for the weekend ( if you read the thread).

WorkingFromHomeShite · 18/03/2024 21:10

@MrsMikeHeck I can access that, thank you. But I just have to remember my Amazon password first…!

StressedOutButProudMama · 18/03/2024 20:27

If you booked via an agent they are 100% as liable as the owner is. They took your money, your contract is with the, then they have a contract with the owner. I'd make it 100% clear that if they don't re-accommodate you as soon as possible, you will be pursuing them they are fully responsible for any sale they make.

Devora13 · 18/03/2024 20:26

Also, please name and shame the booking agent so we all know to avoid them like the plague.

Devora13 · 18/03/2024 20:25

My understanding is that the booking agent is acting in agency and are part of the contract, so are legally obliged to help you out. Furthermore, they have been negligent in knowing there is a problem, knowing your situation and doing nothing to warn you or resolve any potential difficulties. Start posting on trustpilot, TripAdvisor, their social media pages. You can take legal action afterwards, but that isn't going to solve things now.

WorkingFromHomeShite · 18/03/2024 20:20

HowDoWeDoThisPlease · 18/03/2024 19:23

I hopped down the rabbit hole too this afternoon, and I think I found him being interviewed. His finances sound terrifying. Theres a point where he basically says the idea is “least effort, maximum reward”. Says it all really. He also seemed to say that he never gets stressed. How nice for him.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/maximising-property-values/id1520486256?i=1000554152199

I can’t open this podcast, is it available anywhere else?

MrsMikeHeck · 18/03/2024 20:02

@Bartlebum Yes, he bought both properties in Feb 22. He bought the tenanted sea front building for £1.1m and a couple of weeks later bought the Wheel Farm Cottages for £1.25m.

@HowDoWeDoThisPlease Thanks for joining me in the rabbit hole. I don’t think I can bring myself to listen to the podcast 😬

HowDoWeDoThisPlease · 18/03/2024 19:23

Bartlebum · 18/03/2024 19:01

@MrsMikeHeck @WorkingFromHomeShite I checked him out on companies house and found 22 properties in his name all beginning around 2022. No idea why anyone would extend themselves so quickly, when one was clearly too many.

Edited

I hopped down the rabbit hole too this afternoon, and I think I found him being interviewed. His finances sound terrifying. Theres a point where he basically says the idea is “least effort, maximum reward”. Says it all really. He also seemed to say that he never gets stressed. How nice for him.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/maximising-property-values/id1520486256?i=1000554152199

Maximising Property Values: Clubhouse GUEST SERIES: Colin Davison on Apple Podcasts

‎Maximising Property Values: Clubhouse GUEST SERIES: Colin Davison on Apple Podcasts

‎Show Maximising Property Values, Ep Clubhouse GUEST SERIES: Colin Davison - 15 Mar 2022

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/maximising-property-values/id1520486256?i=1000554152199

Bartlebum · 18/03/2024 19:01

MrsMikeHeck · 18/03/2024 16:25

Im not proud of the fact that I’m still in this rabbit hole.

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/north-devon-families-forced-out-6763549

@MrsMikeHeck @WorkingFromHomeShite I checked him out on companies house and found 22 properties in his name all beginning around 2022. No idea why anyone would extend themselves so quickly, when one was clearly too many.

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